Sixty years ago, a groundbreaking declaration reshaped the moral and spiritual landscape of the modern world. Nostra aetate, Latin for “In Our Time,” was approved by the Second Vatican Council and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on October 28, 1965. For the first time in history, an Ecumenical Council explicitly addressed antisemitism and rejected the centuries-old accusation that Jews were collectively responsible for the death of Christ. It recognized the enduring covenant between God and the Jewish people and affirmed the legitimacy of other faiths as well.
In the shadow of the Holocaust, this moment was nothing short of revolutionary. The World Jewish Congress (WJC), which had worked with the Catholic Church in the post-war years to reunite Jewish children hidden with Christian families during World War II, played a crucial role in shaping the spirit of the document. Under the leadership of President Nahum Goldmann, the WJC engaged in direct consultations with the Holy See, helping to lay the foundations for Nostra aetate.
That historic declaration became the cornerstone of Jewish–Catholic relations. It inspired a dialogue built not only on remembrance but on mutual respect and shared responsibility for the future. For the WJC, it became a moral compass and a call to engagement to meet one another not as adversaries of the past, but as partners and brothers in shaping for a better world.
Over the past six decades, the relationship between the Jewish people and the Catholic Church has grown deeper.
In 2022, the WJC launched the Kishreinu initiative, Hebrew for “Our Bond,” which was presented to His Holiness Pope Francis by WJC President Ronald S. Lauder to strengthen ties between Jewish and Catholic communities worldwide. The program embodies the living legacy of Nostra aetate: dialogue, education, and cooperation.
In 2023, the WJC took another decisive step by opening its Representative Office to the Holy See, reaffirming its commitment to sustaining and advancing this partnership in our time.
Yet, the last two years have reminded us that dialogue must be tested in times of pain as much as in peace.
The tragic attacks of October 7, 2023, against Israel and the surge of antisemitism that followed deeply shook Jewish communities worldwide. For many Jews, these were moments of fear and isolation, revealing how fragile mutual understanding can still be. Many felt that the Jewish people deserved greater empathy and moral clarity in this post-Nostra aetate era, especially after enduring the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
In this context, the recent words of Pope Leo XIV carry special significance. “The Church does not tolerate antisemitism and fights against it, on the basis of the Gospel itself,” he declared, reaffirming a moral truth rooted in Nostra aetate. WJC President Ronald S. Lauder welcomed the statement as “an extraordinarily positive and deeply meaningful gesture,” emphasizing that “in times like these, such words inspire us to strengthen the bonds between Jews and Catholics and to work together for a world of greater coexistence and peace.”
But anniversaries are not only moments for reflection; they are calls to action. The future of dialogue now depends on a new generation of leaders, both Jewish and Catholic. They will have to decide how to continue this journey not out of obligation, but out of conviction. In an age marked by uncertainty, polarization, and resurgent prejudice, the most courageous act is to stay engaged: to talk, to listen, and to find common ground.
The lessons of Nostra aetate remind us that reconciliation is not a one-time achievement; it is a living process that must be renewed, taught, and lived in every generation. As we look to the decades ahead, our task is not only to preserve the legacy of dialogue but to make it stronger, wiser, and more compassionate than ever before, so that faith may never again be used to divide, but to heal.
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